The Pensacola metro area’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.5% in September, to 4.8% last month, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.

3,900 new jobs were added in the Pensacola area during that span, part of the nearly 37,000 statewide – the highest one-month total for jobs added in a decade. DEO Director Jesse Panuccio says they’re spread out over a number of sectors.

Florida’s unemployment rate has ticked up to 5.7% – a slight rise from April despite jobs added statewide in that period, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Despite adding about 4,000 jobs, unemployment was up in the western Panhandle; Escambia County rose from 5.3% in April to 5.7%, Santa Rosa, 4.6% to 4.8%, and Okaloosa County from 4.3% to 4.6%.

DEO Secretary Jesse Panuccio said jobless rates were also up in the two local metropolitan areas. Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent jumped from 5.1%-5.4%; Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin went from 4.4% to 4.6%.

The state jobless rate dropped from 5.8% in November to 5.6% last month. That matches the national unemployment figure. DEO Commissioner Jesse Panuccio says in the western Panhandle, the numbers and job growth reflect the statewide trends and then some.

New numbers from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity show that the state's unemployment rate edged up slightly in May to 6.3%. That translates to about 606,000 jobless Floridians.

The bump in the rate, from April’s 6.2% mark, was not totally unexpected. Economists had projected it to grow slightly, as more people began seeking work as the economic recovery continues. DEO Executive Director Jesse Panuccio says concentrate on the big picture.

In this week’s Economic Report, Dr. Rick Harper discusses the latest report from the U.S. Labor Department regarding the number of Americans filing for first-time jobless claims. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 300,000 for last week. That was the largest decline since December 2012, and marked the lowest level since May 2007.

The watchdog group Integrity Florida is out with a study of the Department of Economic Opportunity’s attempts to lobby the Legislature for one billion dollars through 2020. The cash would be used for movies, TV shows, video games and other entertainment industry productions.

Television’s “Burn Notice,” the movie “Dolphin Tale” and the Madden football video game are produced in Florida.